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Feb. 21, 1956 E. T. LORIG 2,735,536

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CENTERING ALIGNING MOVING OBJECTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 AND Filed Dec. 7, 1951 MA A ... /B I I FIEIE- FIG 4.

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APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CENTERING AND ALIGNING MOVING OBJECTS Filed Dec. 7. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PIES- [mm aim": aw/ r 10%,

AWAL X4 Adt United States Patent APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CENTERING AND ALIGNING MOVING OBJECTS Edwin T. Lorig, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Application December 7, 1951, Serial No. 260,436

10 Claims. (Cl. 198-202) This invention is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Serial No. 229,722, filed June 4, 1951, now Patent No. 2,622,448, dated December 23, 1952, and relates to apparatus for automatically centering and aligning moving strip and strip-like material. The invention is particularly directed to rolls for use as troughing idlers in belt conveyors. Various types of troughing idlers have been used with belt conveyors. Ordinary rolls have been used and also automatic centering rolls such as shown in my copending applications entitled Apparatus for Positioning Strip, Serial No. 97,218, filed June 4, 1949, now Patent No. 2,593,157, dated April 15, 1952; Method and Apparatus for Positioning Strip, Serial No. 138,389, filed January 13, 1950, now Patent No. 2,592,581, dated April 15, 1952; and Method and Apparatus for Positioning Strip, Serial No. 145,648, filed February 23, 1950, now Patent No. 2,593,158, dated April 15, 1952, but they have not proved to be satisfactory for all purposes and under all conditions. With some types of installation a uniformly loaded belt will operate satisfactorily but an unloaded belt or non-uniformly loaded belt will not operate satisfactorily.

It is an object of my invention to provide apparatus for automatically centering strip or strip-like material.

Another object is to provide apparatus for automatically centering the belt of a belt conveyor.

These and other objects will be more apparent after referring to the following description and attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the apparatus of my invention in use in a belt conveyor without a load thereon;

Figure 2 is a sectional view, similar to Figure 1, showing the position of the apparatus with a load thereon;

Figure 3 is a view, partly in section, of a different type of bearing support for the shafts of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is an end view of Figure 3 Figure 5 is a view, similar to Figure 1, showing another embodiment of my invention; and

Figure 6 is a view, similar to Figure 5, showing the position of the apparatus with a load thereon.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates spaced apart bearing supports for spherical or self-aligning bearings 4. Mounted in each of the bearings 4 is a stub shaft 6. A tension spring 8 is fastened to and extends between the ends of the stub shafts 6. In place of the spring 8 other flexible members such as manila rope, steel cables and rubber shafts may be used. Four strip supporting members 10, 12, 14, and 16 are fastened to the spring 8. The members 10 and 16 are located adjacent the shaft 6 and are preferably of the same size and shape. The members 12 and 14 are mounted one on each side of the transverse center line of spring 8 and are also similar to each other, but are larger in diameter than the members 10 and 16. The members 10, 12, 14 and 16 are frustoconical with their large diameter ends on the side adjacent the transverse center line of the spring 8. Members 1 2 and 1 4 are of greater diameter than the members 10 and 16. It will be seen that the members '10, 12, 14 and 16 provide a pair of strip engaging surfaces on each side of the transverse center line of the flexible member '8. As shown the apparatus is used to support a metal conveyor belt B. In Figure 1 the position of the belt and roller support is shown when no load is supported onthe belt and the position of the belt with a live load L thereon is shown in Figure 2. It will be seen that substantial contact is provided at all times between the belt B and the surfaces of member 10, 1'2, 14 and 16.

In place of using the spherical bearings -4, bearings 18 supported in trunnions 20 may be provided as shown in Figures 3 and 4. This permits movement of the shafts 6 in a vertical plane in the same manner as the bearings 4.

It will be noted that the members 10 and 12 simulate a conical roll on each side of the longitudinal center line of the belt B in much the same manner as in my above mentioned patents. This effect may also be obtained by providing any number of disks of varying diameter arranged progressively on a flexible member 8. The member 8 forms a catenary under the load of the metal belt B varying in depth from an applied no live load as shown in Figure l to full live load as shown in Figure 2. Contact of all four disks 10, 12, 14 and 16 is maintained against the underside of the belt B regardless of the amount of load with resultant centering of the belt in a manner similar to that described in my above mentioned patents. However, when the pressuers of the belt on the idler assembl'y were not uniformly distributed at the belt edge and center supporting disk and particularly when the live load became unbalanced on either side of the longitudinal center line of the belt, the centering effect was not entirely satisfactory. Thus, while the self-aligning device shown in Figures 1 and 2 is an improvement over those previously used, it is not entirely satisfactory.

Figures 5 and 6 show the preferred embodiment of my device in which spaced apart bearing supports 22 are provided for supporting spherical self-aligning bearings 24. A stub shaft 26 is rotatably mounted in each of the bearings 24 and a helical spring 28 is fastened to and extends between the ends of the shafts 26. The apparatus so far described is the sameasthat of Figures 1 and 2 However, in place of the members 10, 12, 14 and 16 a pair of rotatable strip supporting members 30 are fastened to the spring 28 one on each side of the transverse center line thereof. Each of the members 30 has an axial opening 32 therethrough with a reduced diameter portion 34 intermediate its length. The diameter of the portion 34 is substantially the same as the outside diameter of the spring 28 and the diameter of the remaining portion of the opening 32 is substantially greater so that the member 30 will only engage the spring 28 at the portion 34. Each member 30 is provided with strip or belt engaging portions 36 and 38 one at each end thereof. The portions 36 and 38 are preferably frusto-conical with the diameter of portion 36 being greater than that of portion 38. This construction equalizes the belt pressure against the troughing idlers 30 regardless of the transverse distribution of the live load L thereon as well as under all other conditions. If the load on one of the surfaces 36 or 38 is greater than the load on the other surface, the roll 30 will pivot around its center line until the load is evenly distributed. The operation of the device is otherwise the same as that of Figures 1 and 2. The bearing of Figures 3 and 4 may be substituted for the bearings 24 without any change in operation of the device.

While several embodiments of my invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for centering 'a strip comprising a pair of rotatable spaced apart shafts, a flexible member fastened to and extending between said shafts, and spaced apart strip supporting members fastened to said flexible member, said strip supporting members providing a pair of spaced apart strip engaging surfaces on each side of the transverse center line of said flexible member, the diameter of the strip engaging surface adjacent the transverse center line of the flexible member being greater than the diameter of the strip engaging surface remote from the said transverse center line. p p

2. Apparatus for centering a strip according to claim 1 in which the strip engaging surfaces on each side of the transverse center line are frusto-conical with the largest diameter thereof beingadjacent said center line. 3. Apparatus for centering a strip comprising a pair of spaced self-aligning bearings, a stub shaft rotatably mounted in each of said bearings, a flexible member fastened to and extending between said shafts, and spaced apart strip supporting members fastened to said flexible member, said strip supporting members providing a pair of spaced apart strip engaging surfaces on each side of the transverse center line of said flexible member, the diameter of the strip engaging surface adjacent the transverse center line of the flexible member being greater than the diameter of the strip engaging surface remote from the said transverse center line.

4. Apparatus for centering a strip according to claim 3 in which the strip engaging surfaces on each side of the transverse center line are frusto-conical with the largest diameter thereof being adjacent said center line. 5. Apparatus for centering a strip comprising a pair of rotatable spaced apart shafts, a flexible member fastened to and extending between said shafts, and a pair of rotatable strip supporting members fastened to said flexible member one on each side of the transverse center line thereof, each of said strip supporting members having an axial opening therethrough with a reduced diameter portion intermediate the length thereof for engaging the flexible member and a strip engaging outer surface at each end thereof, the diameter of the strip engaging surface adjacent the transverse center line of the flexible member being greater than the diameter of the strip engaging surface remote from the said transverse center line.

6. Apparatus for centering a strip according to claim 5 in which the strip engaging surfaces of each of the strip supporting members are frusto-conical with the largest diameter thereof being adjacent the transverse center line of said flexible member. a h

7. Apparatus for centering a strip comprising a pair of spaced self-aligning bearings, a stub shaft rotatably mounted in each of said bearings, a flexible member fastened to and extending between said shafts, and a pair of rotatable strip supporting members fastened to said flexible member one on each side of the transverse center line thereof, each of said strip supporting members having an axial opening therethrough with a reduced diameter portion intermediate the length thereof for engaging the flexible member, and a strip engaging outer surface at each end of each of said strip supporting members, the diameter of the strip engaging surface adjacent the transverse center line of the flexible member being greater than the diameter of the strip engaging surface remote from the said transverse center line.

8. Apparatus for centering a strip according to claim 7 in which the strip engaging surfaces of each of the strip supporting members are frusto-conical with the largest diameter thereof being adjacent the transverse center line of said flexible member.

9. Apparatus for centering a strip comprising a pairof rotatable spaced apart shafts, a flexible member fastened to and extending between said shafts, and two frustoconical spaced apart strip supporting members fastenedvto said flexible member on each side of the transverse center thereof with the large diameter ends thereof being on the side adjacent said transverse center, the small diameter end of the inner strip supporting member being larger than the large diameter end of the outer strip supporting member.

10. Apparatus for centering a strip comprising a pair of spaced self-aligning bearings, a stub shaft rotatably mounted in each of said bearings, a flexible member fastened to and extending between said shafts, and two frusto-conical spaced apart strip supporting members fastened to said flexible member on each side of the transverse center thereof With the large diameter ends thereof being on the side adjacent said transverse center, the small diameter end of the inner strip supporting member being larger than the large diameter end of the outer strip sup porting member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

